Question

What is -2^2? I've been getting mixed results from people against calculators.

Answer 1

It depends on how the parenthesis is like. -(2)^2 will equal -4 while (-2)^2 equals 4. But the answer will most likely be 4 because they tend to make sure to put parenthesis if they want the answer to be -4. (Calculators are programmed differently which is why you're getting mixed answers.)

Answer 2

-4

Explanation:

Technically, the negative sign is treated as multiplying by -1, which is then separate from the 2. This equation can also be rewritten as
`-1 * 2^2`, which would be simplified to
`-1 * 4` and then
`-4`.